Cable connector



R. A. SHARP CABLE CONNECTOR May 4, 1954 Filed June 27. 1951 Patented May4, 1954 NITEID TATES PATENT 1 Claim.

This invention relatesto couplers or connectors for-electricalconductorssuch as cables, andhas particular reference toa coupling for'connecting the leads of welding" equipment.

*It is customary to secure the coupling members for such leads to theconductor wires or cables *by soldering theends of the cablesintosockets"in the coupling members. This practice, of

- course, requires that the connection between the complementarycoupling members themselves be of'low: electricalresistance so as toavoid heating "of the coupling members.

I-Ieretofore, howevenfthe means employed to effecta-iseparable.connection between the complementary fcoupling members was incapable of-achieving thenecessaryadegree of low electrical resistance, and .as a;result, the solder securing the conductors "to .the coupling membersoften meltedorrsoftenedto the extent that a failure I :would occur.

-With a View toward correcting this specific ":problem it is :thepurposeof the present invenitionto-provide a new and improved couplerforEEIECtI'iC conductors wherein the connection betweenthe coupling-membersextends over, a substantial area and is so tight and secure as toprevent substantiallyall.heating:due to electrical resistance at thejunction.

Another object of this invention is to provide .a coupler for thepurpose described wherein the coupling'or connection between thecoupling ele- .ments isquickly and-easily effectedby merely slidingcomplementary interengaging portions :thereof axially onto one anotherand then rotating the-couplingmembers with respect to each other.

A further object of this invention is to provide an electrical couplerof the character described wherein one of the coupling members has anannular wall which is wedged between and clamped by a pair ofcooperating elements on the other coupling member, to thereby afford asecure mechanical connection between the me bers and a good electricalcontact between their clamped parts.

With the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction,combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafterdescribed and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it beingunderstood that such changes in the precise embodiment of thehereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of theclaim.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one ing to its end oppositeits-socket 'mode so far devised for the practical application of theprinciples thereof, and in whichz Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe-two-com- 'plementary couplingmembersof this invention shownseparated and attached toithe ends-oi the conductors which are'tobe=electrically= connected;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the coupler-with thecomplementary members thereof in engagement with 'oneanother;

Figure 3 is an enlarged cross sectional -view taken along the line 3-3-of Figure-2 and i-llustrating the two complementary coupling-members intheir positions of -relative-rotationat which assembly and disassemblyis effected; and

Figure 3A is a view s-imilar to Figure -3 but showing the couplingmembers' rotated with respect to each-other to-establish a secure==lowresistance connection therebetween.

Referring nowparticularly totheaccom-panying drawing; the numerals 5 and6 designate generally the two -complementary couplingmembers of thisinvention each of 'which has -aesocleet 1 "opening to'one end thereofto-receive andihave formed in any desiredmanner, in the present instancethey are illustrated as-being turned-from hexagonal bar stock."The-memberi has -a coaxial smooth surfacedcylindricalbore 9 therein-open- Land a-smooth surfaced cylindrical pin l0 smaller in diameterthan the bore 9 is disposed therein to be encircled by the skirt lldefined by the bore 9.

Where the member is formed of hexagonal bar stock, as in the presentcase, the pin I0 is a separate part driven into a central bore I2opening to the bottom of the bore 9. The bore I2 is so disposed as tolocate the pin ill with its axis parallel to but spaced a slightdistance from the axis of the bore 9, as indicated by the dimension S inFigure 3. Consequently the bore 9 and the pin ID are slightly eccentricto one another.

The other coupling member 6 has a smooth surfaced tubular stem l3projecting from the end thereof opposite its socket l, and the inner andouter diameters of this tubular stem are eccentric to the same extent asthe bore 9 and pin l0. Also, the outer diameter of the stem I3, whilecoaxial with the member 6, is slightly less than the diameter of thebore 9; and its inner diameter is slightly greater than the diameter ofthe pin 10. Consequently, when the two coupling members are axiallyaligned with one another and. in such positions of rotation that theeccentricities of their parts coincide, they may be freely slid axiallyinto interengagement with the skirt H surrounding the tubular stem I3and with the tubular stem surrounding the pin l0. Upon being sointerengaged, rotation of one of the elements with respect to the otherroduces a double wedging effect which takes place between the inner andouter surfaces of the tubular stem l3 and the skirt l l and pin 10, andby this double wedge action the telescoped parts are securely lockedtogether.

While the radially adjacent cylindrical surfaces of the connectedcoupling members have a theoretical line contact with one another whenrotated into locking engagement, as a practical matter the inevitableresiliency and elasticity of the interengaged parts brings about asubstantial surface-to-surface engagement between the two members tothereby effect a good electrical connection therebetween.

Since the interengaged parts must have a rather snug fit, the inner endof the tubular stem l3 has a small diameter bleed hole 14 through thewall thereof to thus preclude entrapment of air in its interior when themembers are slid together; and a similar bleed hole i5 is provided inthe wall of the member 5 just ahead of the inner end of the bore 9 forthe same purpose.

The exposed end of each coupling member is enclosed in a sheath l6 ofsuitable insulating material, and these insulating sheaths are broughtsubstantially into endwise abutting relationship when the members areinterconnected.

Attention is directed to the fact that the relative positions ofrotation of the two coupling members is effectively indicated by screwsll, one threaded into each of the members, and visible through holes l8in the sheaths. The screws are so located circumferentially of the twomembers that when assembling and disassembling positions at which theireccentricities match, as shown in Figure 3, the screws are exactlyaligned with one another, lengthwise of the coupler. Hence, the screwsll facilitate quick connection." If desired, the screw H in the member 5may extend far enough inwardly as to engage in a hole [9 in the side ofthe pin it] to hold the same against endwise displacement. Theengagement of the heads of the screws il in the holes l8 of the sheathsalso the same are in their 4 serves to preclude axial displacement ofthe sheaths from their respective members.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art thatthis invention provides a very low resistance coupler for cables andother electrical conductors.

What I claim as my invention is:

A coupler for electric conductors, comprising: a pair of complementaryelongated coupling members each of which has a socket opening to one endto receive and have an end portion of a conductor soldered therein, oneof said coupling members having a complete smooth-surfaced substantiallyuniform cylindrical bore extending axially thereof and opening to itsend opposite its socket to define a skirt, and also having asmooth-surfaced substantially uniform cylindrical pin wholly within theskirt bore with its outer end substantially in line with the edge of theskirt but the pin being slightly eccentric to the skirt; and asmooth-surfaced substantially uniform cylindrical tubular stem extendingaxially of the other member and projecting from its end opposite itsconductor socket, the inside and outside surfaces of said tubular stemhaving the same eccentricity as the pin and skirt bore, and the relativediameters of said parts being such that the tubular stem may be freelyslidably telescoped into the skirt bore and over the pin of the firstdesignated coupling memher when said coupling members are inpredetermined positions of relative rotation at which theireccentricities substantially coincide, and whereby relative rotation ofsaid coupling members in either direction, with their parts thustelescoped and mating, locks them together by the double wedging actionwhich takes place between the surfaces of the tubular stem and those ofthe pin and skirt, to form a low resistance electrical connectionbetween the coupling members which extends along the entire axial lengthof the contacting surfaces and increases the intimacy and area as thecoupling is tightened by relative rotation of its mating members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

